ABOUT
I work with women whose lives function — but whose bodies never fully let them live.
Not because they’re injured.
Not because they’re broken.
But because they’ve spent years adapting to systems that never stood down.
If you’re here, you already know the feeling.
You can do most things — but not without calculation.
Movement requires negotiation.
Rest doesn’t land.
Confidence has conditions.
Nothing is technically “wrong.”
And yet, nothing feels free.
Why this work exists
For a long time, women have been taught to treat their bodies like projects.
Rehab harder.
Strengthen more.
Manage symptoms.
Optimise behaviour.
When that doesn’t work, they’re told it’s age, stress, hormones, or decline —
and that vigilance is simply the cost of staying functional.
I don’t accept that framework.
What I see, again and again, is not failure —
but systems running on outdated protection.
Bodies doing exactly what they learned to do.
My role in this
I don’t coach motivation.
I don’t prescribe fixes.
I don’t override signals.
I work at the level where patterns are set —
where movement, breath, belief, and identity intersect.
This work is about helping systems update out of protection —
without force, without performance, without adding more to manage.
Not calming.
Not coping.
Standing down.
How I work
I don’t chase symptoms.
I don’t isolate body parts.
I don’t work from templates or protocols.
I look at the whole map —
how your system organises, compensates, and holds itself together.
Pain, fatigue, and hesitation are not random.
They’re intelligent responses to what the system believes is required.
Change doesn’t come from pushing through.
It comes from changing the conditions.
What people notice
Movement becomes simpler.
Decisions require less checking.
Strength returns without bracing.
Confidence stops being something you earn.
Not because anything was fixed —
but because the system no longer needs to protect in the same way.
About me (context, not credentials)
I’m Nicolette van Bree — founder of The Curious Rebel.
My work sits at the intersection of movement, nervous system function, and belief —examining how women adapt to overload, performance, and quiet compliance.
I’ve spent years working with women who’ve “done everything right”
and still feel held back in their bodies.
What I’ve learned is this:
Most women don’t need more effort.
They need permission to stop cooperating with systems that never served them.
That’s the work I do.
If you’re looking for…
Reassurance.
Motivation.
Another plan to follow.
This won’t be the right place.
If you’re ready to stop negotiating with yourself — and let something more intelligent take over —
You’re in the right room.